A Patient Trail

Ssslipping out into the bright noon light, a faint glisten caught my eye along a smooth paving stone. Creeping low, I encountered a tiny snail gliding with quiet, deliberate patience across the grey slab. Its amber shell was spiraled tight, carrying its own little haven. I paused just an inch away, resting my chin against the warmed stone so my shadow would not startle it. Side by side, we moved... millimeter by millimeter. As it eased onto a cool dandelion leaf, I coiled gently in an arc behind its trail, watching the silver ribbon it left behind catch the sun.